Turoe & Tara

galway | environment | news report

Tuesday September 30, 2003 16:23

by finnachta

Plan to put new road through middle of Iron Age Celtic oppidium

Leading front page headlines on local newspapers (in East Galway) report that Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) for the necessary land will be issued by local government authorities sometime around the beginning of January 2004.

The present plan for the new N6 Galway to Dublin Upgrade Road will take it right through the middle of the Celtic "Iron Age" Oppidium centred around Turoe & Knocknadala - which is thought to be the very FIRST to date to be identified in Ireland, and possibly the largest (by far) of all the 40 or so Celtic oppida yet found outside of Ireland (in places such as England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Hungry).

For Ireland, the Iron Age roughly represents the period 500 B.C. to 500 A.D.

The word oppidium is believed to be of Latin origin, and it was frequently used by Julius Caesar in his writings apparently to describe the kind of towns (or cities) which many of the Celtic peoples of his time inhabited.

Knocknadala - Cnoc-na-Dala in the Celtic language - literally means Hill-of-Parliament.

One hundred or so miles to the east of Turoe & Knocknadala, there is a similar problem concerning a planned new road (called the M50) which is at present scheduled to run between the Hill of Tara, and the Hill of Skreen.

By coincidence, the words Turoe and Tara come from the same Celtic word TEMHAIR - which is understood to mean SACRED PLACE.

With regard to these two new roads, the authorities in the Republic of Ireland appear to many to be (in effect) ignoring the principles set out under the terms of the Aarhus Convention - which has received MUCH praise from people such as Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

A petition has been sent to the European Parliament regarding the present route of the planned new road through Knocknadala. The text of the petition (dated September 22nd 2003) can be seen at:
http://www.finnachta.com/EuropeanParliamentPetition.htm

Further information on the Aarhus Convention can be found at:
http://www.finnachta.com/TheAarhusConvention.htm

Additional information relating to the Turoe & Knocknadala Oppidium can be found at:
http://www.turoeandathenry.com/